Skip to main content

Week 14: Smart home technologies - concept

By
Nowadays more and more companies are offering the so called smart home/house services. Today I would like to say a bit about this kind of services or maybe about the concept of Smart housing.
Currently technology is a lot cheaper than a few years ago. I am currently working at Orange and a few days ago I had an opportunity to test these new technologies in real environment. 
Basic setup contains a few devices responsible for getting information about temperature, humidity, light and a few sensors which should warn us about danger like fire and smoke. There is almost unlimited list of functions you can add to your system but I would like to focus on basic ones.
Let’s say our home is turning lights on when we come back home and turn them off when we are going to sleep or when we simply want to. Controlling events is simple and can be done with a simple smartphone or a tablet. Setting humidity and temperature according to predefined settings is only one click action. Then we have fridge which knows about our food customs and our shortage in supplies what can be convenient for those with limited time.
If we are going to holidays we have everyday reports about what is going on so we can enjoy our free time and don’t need to worry about our home or apartment. What is more we can see our apartment live over the internet.

Security
Every solution which is based on computers can be hacked and automation systems are not different in this matter. What then?

Here you can see one of the simplest ideas of home automation but still very interesting:
http://lifx.co/

Questions
1. Would you like to have home automation system in your house/home/apartment?
2. What do you think about security of this kind of solutions?
3. Have  you ever seen or used the  system like these mentioned above?

 Sources used in this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_automation
http://home-automation-systems-review.toptenreviews.com/
http://www.avsforum.com/f/162/home-automation

Comments

Patryk Długaszek said…
For me this kind of system would be perfect in big parties. And as house owner, I wouldn’t have to run around the house during the event and reaching to switch through crowd but only insert correct command to phone. This system could be good in house for disability person, who has limited abilities of movements. Personally I don’t have this system In my house and I can not see opportunity to install it. I don’t want to addict from this kind of technological news, which are suitable to this kind of situations which I mentioned first but to personal user I think it’s a useless addition (unless someone love everything new in technology). Only one thing which I can be approve, will be security system, which would be inform me by cell phone about thief.
18 January 2014 at 03:30
Unknown said…
Hell yeah! I love the idea of an automated "living house". I am trying some of those solutions in my flat, like teapot with wifi connection that notifies you on the computer when your water is done boiling. Any system i never fully secured if it has any connection with any type of external network. So... i would just keep this system in the domestic network. Unfortunately i have never seen a fully automated house, but i would love to.
18 January 2014 at 22:34
Tomek Niezgoda said…
To me, these systems are still expensive and not good enough. You can control the light, replace the fridge with an intelligent one and maybe change a few more things in the apartment. I definitely like what the company Nest did before being bought by Google. They made really smart thermostats and smoke detectors. They are expensive for their primary function but they also add a ton of useful features and change how we think about such types of devices. There is a move recently called "the Internet of things" where more and more very different electronic devices are integrating with the web. It's not a problem to make something that has electronics inside but making it useful is a different story.
19 January 2014 at 14:26
Seisyll said…
1. Would you like to have home automation system in your house/home/apartment?
Not now, but maybe in the future, when this idea will be more developed and cheaper. I like the idea of fridge ordering food when there is shortage, or that it can detect danger.
2. What do you think about security of this kind of solutions?
I am pretty sure that if this systems are available now then few people had to check it thoroughly. Nothing is really 100% secure, so we shouldn't pick on something saying it could have security flaws.
3. Have you ever seen or used the system like these mentioned above?
Sadly no.
19 January 2014 at 17:35
armandstanczak said…
1. Would you like to have home automation system in your house/home/apartment?
Hell yeah I would! Hey robot, make me some tea dammit!
2. What do you think about security of this kind of solutions?
Don't bring resoning into this! In no way this is not going to be an inconvinience to the NSa or some other letters from GOV
3. Have you ever seen or used the system like these mentioned above?
Yes I did and it was more than awsome! very limited for now, but still awsome!
19 January 2014 at 20:23
Paweł Jóźwiak said…
I have never seen such system In action myself but I read some articles about it on the Internet. The whole concept of intelligent and automated houses is quite interesting. I think that everyone would like to have something like that in his house. I just can’t imagine something like that. I get out of work press few buttons on my smart phone and by the time o get home the dinner is ready. Just perfect. You gone for two weeks and system automatically water your plants. Sounds nice.

Of course there is a matter of security mentioned in the presentation. As any technical system such system is not invulnerable to outside interference. But I think that biometric security is such a complex and hard to brake security measure that it could ensure the level of protection needed be everyday user. But system like that will not become common in a foreseeable future (10-20 years) in my opinion. Nowadays they are very expensive and not many people can afford them. But as any technology this one will also become available for almost everyone I a decade of two.
19 January 2014 at 21:02
alt_pl said…
1. Would you like to have home automation system in your house/home/apartment?
Simply not, I am superstitious when it comes to technology in everyday and very skeptic about technology to replace few aspect of everyday life chores.

2. What do you think about security of this kind of solutions?
Technology when normally used is safe, but You don't know what would happen with Your technologically filled house when goes down... I have seen too many horror movies to know where it is going :)

3. Have you ever seen or used the system like these mentioned above?
No. And I haven't seen such systems anywhere.
19 January 2014 at 21:04
lukasz-anwajler said…
1. Would you like to have home automation system in your house/home/apartment?

I think it can be pretty convenient in some situations, boiling water for tea when you enter your flat, turning lights off, controlling temperature.

2. What do you think about security of this kind of solutions?

This is a broader topic, because we have "internet of things" and every single aspect of life starting with wearable computing up to "smart home" systems or cars are full of new technology which means we are very dependent of 3rd party software and hardware.

3. Have you ever seen or used the system like these mentioned above?

No, not yet :)
19 January 2014 at 21:58
Sergio Cosentino said…
I know it might be silly, but I am one of those kinds of people that love any kind of new technologies and automation. I am very enthusiastic about stuff like google glass and when I go shopping I tend to use the self-service cash registers as often as possible. So obviously smart homes are also a subject that fascinates me, although I can also see the flaws of such systems. There are obviously problems to consider, starting form the simple fact, than during a blackout a smart house can become more like a prison. Friends or acquaintances of my parents (who are architects) have had many misadventures with their automated houses, such as not being able to leave the room or enter the bathroom (then again replacing all the door handles with fingerprint scanners doesn't seem like such a good idea). And there are also the security problems which u mentioned in your publication. But with all things that are new, there has to be some problems, which haven't been predicted by the creator. Nevertheless I would like to have a smart home myself, maybe not now, but some day.
20 January 2014 at 07:44
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 12 (12.01-18.01.15) Are you an early bird or a night owl ?

By
Owls are nocturnal creatures. They’re wide awake at night and they sleep during the day. If this sounds like bliss to you, then, like about 20 percent of the population who find themselves most active at around 9 pm, you may fall into the same category as our feathered friend. Night owls often have difficulty waking up in the morning, and like to be up late at night.  Studies of animal behaviour indicate that being a night owl may actually be built into some people’s genes. This would explain why those late-to-bed, late-to-rise people find it so difficult to change their behaviour. The trouble for night owls is that they just have to be at places such as work and school far too early. This is when the alarm clock becomes the night owl’s most important survival tool. Experts say that one way for a night owl to beat their dependence on their alarm clocks is to sleep with the curtains open. The Theory is that if they do so, the morning sunlight will awaken them gently and natura...
59 comments
Read more

Week 11 [03-09.06.2019] The problem with ecological cars emission in UK

By
The problem with ecological cars emission in UK Since the adoption of the European Emission Allowance Directive in the European Parliament, all car makers have tried to submit. Since 1992, the Euro I standard has been in force, which limited the emission of carbon monoxide to the atmosphere. The Euro VI standard currently applies, which limits the series of exhaust gases. These include: hydrocarbons, nitrogen and carbon oxides, and dust.   The most significant change was brought by the Euro IV standard. For the first time it introduced the limitation of nitrogen oxides, which are responsible for the harmful compounds of smog.   What is smog?   Smog consists of sulfur oxides, nitrogen and carbon. In addition, solid substances such as suspended dust (PM). Dust suspend in atmospheric aerosols may be in liquid and solid form. These can be particles of sea salt, clouds from the Sahara and artificial compounds made by people. These compounds...
32 comments
Read more

Week 4 [06-12.11.2017] This is what happens when you reply to spam email.

By
James Veitch is a British comedian. In today’s Ted Talk James with characteristic for himself a sense of humor shows how he deals with spam emails and why responding to junk messages may be sometimes dangerous. Questions: What do you think about James’s  way of dealing with spam? Why are junk messages legal, even though it sometimes may be a fraud? Dou you have a problem with spam? How do you deal with with it?
43 comments
Read more